A manned spaceflight to the moon is seen as a somewhat archaic concept in modern times. The 20th century aspirations of “Star Trek” and “2001: A Space Odyssey” seem almost quaint to us now given what we know about the sheer immeasurable scale of the universe. It doesn’t help that the famous space race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union was highly politicized and coincided with the rapid development of science that brought on fears of nuclear armageddon. The entire adventure has left a bad taste in the mouths of more than a few people.
Still, the moon landing persists as an incredible and romantic moment in the history of not only the U.S. but also humankind. Despite our earthly quarrels, we are intimately aware of the universe’s looming presence. The stars, millions and millions of light years away, hover right above our heads, beckoning us with their secrets.
The stars, of course, are a mere pipe dream. Our nearest stellar neighbor, Proxima Cantauri, is just over four light years away, which means reaching it would necessitate 10,000 years of space travel with our current technology. Even within the solar system, the space between objects is enormous. NASA eventually plans on sending people to Mars, but even missions to the moon are no easy task. The moon is orbiting at speeds over 2,000 mph around Earth, so any craft would have to be aimed with extreme precision, lest it be lost in the cold vacuum of space. NASA obviously knew this, which is why the unmanned craft Artemis I was launched in November of 2022. Its success prompted the launch of Artemis II. Once more, this moment is a profoundly important point in history. The Orion spacecraft flew over 250,000 miles away from Earth, farther than any manned craft before it. An incredible feat, but an insurmountably small number on the cosmic scale. Indeed, it is one of humanity’s greatest achievements, and there’s no measure on the value the men and women at NASA have contributed to the advancement of science and technology, and their research, if considered ethically, could bring immense prosperity to humankind. My concern, however, is more existential.
I mentioned before the sweet allure of the cosmos. This allure, for all intents and purposes, is irrational. The universe is hostile, and most unnervingly, indifferent to humankind. Yet its majesty continues to inspire us to uncover its mysteries. A major part of the Artemis II mission was to scout out the moon’s South Pole, analyzing geologic and topographic data with unprecedented accuracy. The crew also took several jaw dropping photos of the dark side of the moon, which has always held a haunting mystique. While there were no lunar settlements or mysterious ancient monoliths, its state revealed an interesting difference between the geologic activity on each side of the moon. Because of Earth’s gravitational pull, the close side experiences increased volcanic activity, which explains the large dark patches on the moon: seas of hardened magma. The dark side, in contrast, is lighter, and features only innumerable craters.
The crew of Artemis II returned with this information on April 10, splashing down off the coast of California. NASA hopes with Artemis III to land a craft onto the moon, and at some point in the future construct human settlements. I don’t believe it is particularly unethical to colonize the solar system, as there are no indigenous species to replace. However, the question arises of who gets to leave Earth, and settle on the moon and even Mars? No doubt such experiences would be reserved only for the richest and most privileged of us. Are most of us left to be stranded on a dying planet while its destructors leave to conquer other realms? The answer to this question is likely a long way off, but I can’t help but consider it when I see the success of the Artemis program.
Despite my cynicism, my interest in the moon remains unchanged. I am incredibly excited for Artemis III and IV in 2027 and 2028, respectively. Our first landing on the moon in over 50 years will surely be an incredible moment. It will be a testament of humanity’s insatiable curiosity, and while we will never truly learn all there is to know, there is beauty in the thrill of discovery. It is an immense shame suffering and inequality continues to exist on Earth, despite all we know about our standing in the universe. We all ought to have a little more humility in the face of the cosmos and its vast regality. Hopefully the future of space travel will be a prosperous one, not built on conquest, but of scientific discovery built on a love and respect for all that exists.
Featured image: NASA.com
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